Hello, boys and girls.  I am your storyteller.  Today we are going to learn about some of the thinking sins like jealousy, envy, covetousness, and sour grapes.   These sins are sometimes called Mental Attitude Sins...  They start in our thinking.  If they are not controlled, they will lead to other sins. 

Mr. Jealousy and his three silly sisters, Miss Envy, Miss Covet, and Miss Sourgrapes all lived together in a cozy little house.  They loved one another, but there were problems in the family. 

Mr. Jealousy, the older brother was usually the first to get up in the morning.  Every morning he searched the web on his computer to see what was new in the world.  Then he called his sisters to get ready for school. 

This particular morning was a Saturday so he decided to let his sisters sleep a little longer.  Suddenly, the door bell rang.  “I’ll get it,” yelled Envy pulling on her robe as she ran to the door. 

“Who is it?”  called Covet, hurrying to see what was going on. 

“I’ll bet it’s not for me,” said Sourgrapes with a bitter look on her face.

All three sisters looked at the package, and then they began tearing off the paper to see what was inside.  There was a flurry of paper everywhere.  Then Envy exclaimed, “It is for me.  This is neat!” 

“Well, what is it?” asked Covet excitedly. 

“Oh, look!  It’s a beautiful doll.  Just see all the neat clothes that came with her.” 

They all stared at the wonderful doll. 

“Wow! She’s great!” said Covet, whose big green eyes shone brightly.  “I wish she were mine.” 

“But you already have many lovely dolls, so why would you want another?” asked Envy. 

You see, children, wanting what others have and not appreciating what we already have can make us greedy.  God is not pleased with this kind of behavior.  The Bible says in Romans 13:9, “Do not covet anything that belongs to another.”  God knows all of our needs and He will take care of them if we trust Him.  But back to our story. 

Then Sourgrapes said in a whiney voice, “Well, I think that doll is really ugly.  I wouldn’t have it if you gave it to me.  Besides, don’t you think you are a little too old to be playing with dolls?” 

People like Sourgrapes usually want what they can’t have.  Then they will pretend not to like it, spoiling things for others.

They pretend they don’t like something because not having it makes them unhappy.  Not having things causes them to have a bitter attitude about many things. 

Now Mr. Jealousy began to look a little nervous.  He called out, “Hey, are you girls still going to do community service at your school as you had planned?” 

“Oh, yes,” said Covet.  “We are planting some flowers in front of our school.  Some of our friends will be there too.” 

“I’ll bet those flowers will all die,” said Sourgrapes putting her hands on her hips. 

Mr. Jealousy began to look a little green.  “Well, I hope you all have a good time without me,” he said in a cross way. 

“Brother, are you going to drive us to the school?” asked Envy.” 

“No, I am not!  You’ll have to take the bus.  And before you go anywhere, you need to pick up this wrapping paper that’s all over the house.  You girls are so messy.  Don’t worry about me.  I’ll be here all day playing with my Game Boy.” 

Now, children, what do you suppose is the matter with Mr. Jealousy?  It sounds like he is unhappy and afraid that his sisters might meet someone they like better than him, doesn’t it?  Maybe he is concerned that they will want to spend more time with others.  When we become jealous of anyone, it makes us feel lonely and left out.  If not controlled, Jealousy can make us act like a monster. 

The Bible has something to say about jealousy.  In Romans 13:13 it says, “Let us not live in quarreling and jealousy . . .  but let us do things the right way.”Our story continues . . .   

After the girls had eaten breakfast and finished their housework, they caught the bus to the school.  There they discovered that the girl’s soccer team was practicing.  The sisters stopped for a minute to watch.  They noticed that one of the players was doing especially well.  “Boy, she’s really good,” said Covet.  “I love her uniform.  I would like one just like it.” 

“She’s just a big showoff,” said Sourgrapes with a bitter tone in her voice. 

Envy could feel the blood rushing to her face.  She began to feel very uncomfortable. 

Suddenly, Covet yelled, “What is happening to your hair, Envy?  It’s turning green!” 

“Oh, it is not,” said Envy in a very troubled voice.  “How could it?” 

Sourgrapes looked at Envy’s hair very carefully.  “Well, it looks green to me, and not very pretty either,” she said. 

Let me interrupt the story for a moment children, because it is important to understand about envy.  There is no reason for us to envy others because God is fair.  He gives a spiritual gift to each believer and talents to many.  When we grow up spiritually, we can use our gift and talent to bring honor and glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  This will bring us great satisfaction and inner happiness. 

If you think others are better looking than you, or get better grades than you, or are more popular, so what?  God has a plan for everyone.  If you will follow His plan by taking in His word, and using it in your life, you will be very content with how God has made you.  (Don’t worry about your hair turning green.  It won’t.)  This was just for the story.  So let’s continue. 

After planting the flowers at the school, the sisters arrived home tired and a little frustrated because their bus was late. 

“Boy, what a day!” exclaimed Envy. 

“It wasn’t pleasant for me either,” said Mr. Jealousy.  “I wish we had a happier family.  We all seem to have problems, but we don’t know how to solve them.” 

Silence fell over the group.  Each one thought about the special problems they were having. 

“On the bus coming home, I saw a church,” offered Covet.  “I have heard that the pastor teaches the Bible in a way that you can understand.  They say that people can find answers to their problems by studying the Bible.” 

Mr. Jealousy looked relieved.  Well, we certainly need some help,” he said.  “I think we should give this church a try.  What do you think sisters?  Are you willing to go to learn some new ways that can bring changes in this family?” 

“I’ll go,” offered Covet.  “I’m tired of always wanting things and never feeling satisfied.”

“I’ll try too,” said her sister Envy.  “It isn’t fun being envious of everyone.” 

“Guess I will also,” said Sourgrapes.  “Although I doubt that I will learn anything at all.” 

Now they are on the right track.  God’s ways are the only ways.  We can find all the answers to our problems by applying the Bible, the thinking of God, to our lives.  I am happy to report that the family continued to attend church, and they all became believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  They learned how to name their sins as they recognized them (1 John 1:9).  Slowly they began to understand why they had been so unhappy, and they began to change their thinking and their attitudes.  They grew to love God and each other.  (Yes, even Sourgrapes.) 

And so, boys and girls, we can all find answers to all of our problems if we will put God and His Word first in our lives.  He loves us, and He is faithful and fair and will always take care of us if we let Him.
 

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